A New Start
by LN8866
Summary: This follow's Michael's life after Fi freaks out on the tarmac, eventually evolves into more actiony stuff...
1. Chapter 1

This story will not be everyone's cup of tea and is VERY anti-Fiona as I am mad at her for treating Michael like she did. So with that being said, this is a story about Michael finding love with another character from outside the usual BN group.

Please no flames...be nice! If you have anything mean to say, don't say it at all. If you don't like my thoughts then don't read.

Thanks to Arifa for reading this & understanding how mad I am at Fi.

* * *

As Michael stood on the tarmac, watching Fiona walk away from him while sobbing loudly, he was held back by Sam. "Let her go. She's not going to listen to you or anyone of us. I'll talk to her when she calms down."

"Sam..." Michael croaked as he tried to push past Sam. "I need to make her understand what I did!"

Sam shook his head, holding Michael back. He knew what the clean suit and haircut meant. He had to hear it for himself. Sam asked "You made a deal, didn't you?"

"She doesn't understand that I had to make a deal. I just need to make her understand why I did it..." Michael said loudly before Sam interrupted him.

Watching as Fiona cried on Madeline's shoulder, Sam said "I know why you did it. They probably told you Fi's not a citizen so she'd be deported, made a threat against your Mom's social security, threatened to ruin Jesse's career and life and probably told you they would take away my pension." Sam knew by looking at Michael's face he was correct. "You signed the papers so they could release us and they held up their end of the deal. You have to hold up your end of the deal now."

Michael nodded. He knew Sam would understand the best out of the group. "For three weeks I answered all their questions and tried everything I could think of to save all of us and not have my actions affect the rest of you. I couldn't do it Sam. They came at me and promised freedom and your lives back in exchange for mine. This is me trying to fix everything."

Sam wrapped his arms around Michael and gave him a hug. In a rough gravelly voice, he whispered into Michael's ear "You held up your promise to me Brother. I'm proud of you."

Michael squeezed Sam a little tighter and said "You watch over Mom and Fiona. I'll call you when I can. I don't know when that will be but I'll call."

"You better call and you stay safe, that's an order from your brother and Commander Axe. I'll send Jesse over so you can say goodbye and I'll go get your Mom. You should talk to her." Sam said. Giving Michael one last hug, he walked away and spoke to Jesse briefly.

Jesse strode up to Michael and said "What is going on? We've been locked up for three weeks and now we are free Sam says. Fiona is in tears and you look like you are in command of an operation. I don't get it."

Michael smiled and said "You understand more than you think. I made a deal to get everyone out of prison." When Jesse began to protest, Michael held his hand up and said "They would have ruined your life and everyone else's Jesse. You would have never been able to find a decent job again and you would be under constant scrutiny. I brought you into this mess and now I'm going to get you out of it. I have to go soon, so I just want to ask you to watch over Mom and Fiona. Make sure Sam doesn't get into trouble. You've been like a brother to me Jesse. You have no idea how much your help and support means to me."

"It's what family does. Be safe and come back as soon as you can." Jesse and Michael hugged quickly before they were interrupted by Madeline.

"Michael, what's going on here? Sam told me you made a deal to get us out of prison and to give us our lives back as they were." Maddie questioned Michael.

He looked down at his feet and said softly "I did." Michael looked at his mother's face and said tearfully "I had to do it."

Maddie took Michael into her arms and said "I know you did. You always have your reasons. I might not agree with your reasons but you are my boy and I will be waiting at home for you when you finish your work."

"I'll send money home like I did when I was away. Tell Fi..." Michael felt the dam beginning to break.

Touching Michael's cheek, she said "You come back home in one piece and then we'll sort the rest of this out later."

Luckily Sam came over and said "We need to get going and you have a job to do Mikey." Michael realized that Sam was right, he did have a job to do. Giving Maddie a hug and a kiss he said "I love you Mom."

"I love you too. Just remember you are different than when you came to Miami after being burned. You have a family that will miss you and loves you." She said as she kissed his cheek one last time. "I'll talk to Fiona some more and we'll calm her down. She loves you and I am sure she'll come to her senses."

Michael nodded and watched everyone walk to a car that was waiting to take them home. Fiona was the last to get inside the car, giving Michael what could be his last look at the woman he loved.

The car ride back to Miami was quiet. When they arrived back at Maddie's house, Sam sat down at the dining room table. "Fi, sit down. We need to talk."

Fiona pacing wildly yelled "Talk? What do we need to talk about? Sam, he screwed us all over. He got exactly what he wanted and we are back to square one. I have nothing. No home, no clothes, no jobs, no money and worst of all I don't have Michael. He broke his promise to me and left me high and dry."

"Stop being ridiculous Fiona. You have a home and its here with all of us." Maddie said, placing a hand on Fiona's shoulder.

Knocking Maddie's hand off her shoulder, Fiona said "This is not my home. This is Michael's home. He promised that when this was done, he'd leave the CIA. If he was here with me right now, which he promised, then this would be my home too. Michael chose the CIA over a life with me, so I no longer have a home or family."

Sam stood up and questioned her in a loud tone "Fi, you don't understand. He went back to the CIA for our sakes."

Fiona's throat hurt from yelling and crying. Her chest heaved as she spoke. "I understand it better than you could ever imagine. He did not have to go back to the CIA. He could have said no and fought his way out of the situation. Instead he took the easy way out and took away my chance at a life with him."

Maddie defended her son. She slammed her hand on the table. "Damn it! What is it going to take to make you see that he sold his soul for us, but mainly you. You were going to be deported if he didn't cooperate. The rest of us would have survived somehow, but you wouldn't be here and he wouldn't have been able to stop it. That would have killed him, knowing that he couldn't protect you. He is doing something honorable and gave up his life for us. You have no room to judge him."

Fiona tearfully said "When the job was done, he promised to leave. I can't do this anymore. I can't be always waiting for him and I refuse to be second best to the agency that ruined his life in the first place."

"What are you saying Fi?" Jesse asked.

"I'm done. I love you all and I will always love Michael, but I need more. This isn't my life anymore. I need a new life and none of you can be part of it."

Maddie wiped away tears from her eyes "Honey, don't shut us out. You need us and we need you. Take some time and you'll feel differently."

"I'm sorry everyone, but I can't be here right now. Everything and everyone reminds me of Michael and it just hurts too much." Fiona said as she grabbed her purse. She walked to the door but stopped when Sam called after her.

"What do I tell Michael? He'll want to know where you are." Sam said, hoping Fiona would come to her senses.

"Tell him I'm done. I'd tell him myself, but he's off on a mission." Putting on her sunglasses, Fiona opened the door and said "When I'm ready, I'll let you know I'm ok."

Everyone stood in the house, which their jaws opened in shock. Maddie shouted "Sam! Do something! Go after her and make her listen!"

"Fi's not going to listen to anyone right now. Give her time to cool off and then we'll try to talk to her again." Jesse said. "Right Sam?"

Sam slowly shook his head. "Guys, she's gone. I've been with enough women to know when they are this angry and this hurt, they aren't going to listen to anything you have to say. Let her go and if she does come around, which I think she won't, we'll be here for her. Until then we should get back to our lives. Jesse, you should call your boss and see if he has a job for you still. If not, I can talk to Elsa or friends of mine to see what work I can get for you. Maddie, we'll see you later if you are ok by yourself."

Maddie said sadly, "I'll be fine. I'm just going to sit down and have a drink. I need to take time to comprehend everything that has happened today."

Both men walked out the door to their respective vehicles that had been dropped off prior to their arrival. Jesse asked Sam before getting into his car "How long do you think we have until Mike is back?"

"I don't know. Could be weeks, months or years. We'll keep trying to reach out to Fi. She'll either calm down and come back or this was the last time we'll ever see her." Sam paused and added "If you don't want to stick around or maybe you want to put roots down someplace else, I understand. Mikey asked me to watch Maddie and as his brother I'm going honor his request..."

Jesse held up his hand to signal Sam to stop talking. "I'm not going anywhere. I'll stay at this house and eat Maddie's terrible cooking night after night. I'll take jobs with you or just hang at Carlito's with you, but I'm staying here. This is my home and you guys are the only family I have."

Sam smiled and nodded. "I'll see you later then. I'm going to see if Elsa still wants me in her life, if not, then I might be bunking with you."

Laughing, Jesse said "I don't think so. I call the guest room and you can have the couch. I need my beauty sleep after all."

Jesse left. Sam sat in the driveway and dialed Elsa's cell phone. "Hey, I was wondering if you still had a room for a tired old Navy SEAL." Sam heard Elsa crying. "Baby, don't cry. I'm coming home. I'll be there soon." He ended the call and drove right to Elsa's hotel.

He entered the lobby and was greeted by Elsa's assistant. She gave Sam a room key, as Elsa knew he didn't have one with him. Arriving at their room, Sam opened the door and was nearly knocked off his feet by Elsa who ran into his arms. "I thought you were dead."

"Almost, but it takes a lot more to bring me down." he said, showing her his wound as they sat on the bed. He recounted everything that happened after she last saw him. Towards the end of his story, Elsa saw his armour chipping away piece by piece.

Wrapping Sam in a blanket, laying down with him and placing her arms around him she said softly "He is an honorable man for giving his freedom for yours. When he comes back home, and he will, I will need to thank him personally for saving you. Don't worry. He'll find his way either with Fiona or without. Either way it'll be hard, but you'll be there for him. We all will."

Realizing that Sam was asleep, she kicked off her heels and said a prayer for Michael so he would return home safely.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N~Thanks for reading. This started out as a other-character romance, but since then it's changed into something more action packed. Fiona will be in it, but again, still no romance with them. I hope you enjoy...because this has been super fun for me to write! Just bear with me, Fiona comes in later.

Thanks to Ari for reading :)

* * *

A month after returning back to their normal lives, Michael managed to find some time to return home as well. As he walked through the back door, Maddie gasped in surprise. She rushed forth calling out loudly "Michael! I am so happy to see you!"

"Hey Mom." Michael said softly. "I have some downtime between missions and I wanted to come home."

"Where have you been?" Maddie asked, placing a hand on Michael's cheek.

"I can't say."

"I forgot. Everything is classified." Maddie said waving her hand in the air. She led Michael to the dining room table and he took his usual seat at the head.

Michael looked around. "How is everyone?"

"Good. Sam and Jesse are off on a job. I helped a little bit on this one, but Sam wanted me to lay low because they are dealing with mobsters and he didn't want me to get in the middle. Sam is living with Elsa and Jesse is living here again, in the guest room. I guess its his room now. Its nice to have someone in the house. He can sleep on the couch while you are here." Maddie paused. She didn't want to stop talking because she knew Michael would ask about Fiona and she had no real answer for him. She started to ramble again. "How long are you staying? The boys should be back soon, we could all have dinner. I'll tell them to get some takeout from Carlito's."

No such luck. Michael asked "How's Fiona? She's not returning any of my calls. I can't get in contact with her."

Sighing heavily, Maddie responded "She's not returning anyone's calls, not just yours. I stopped leaving messages about a week ago. I couldn't keep trying and waiting for her to call back and I know she won't. Sam and Jesse tried today before they left on their job, but she never called them back either."

Michael nodded. "When did you last see her? Is she ok?"

"I last saw her when we came back to Miami. I'm going to be straight with you, because I don't think Sam or Jesse have the heart to tell you the truth. Fiona left here crying that day and she promised to cut all ties to the family, which she did. She said you promised to leave the CIA and live out your days with her. We all argued saying you sold your freedom for ours. She just wouldn't listen. She stormed out of the house and that was the last we saw of her."

As Madeline finished speaking, Sam entered the house. Sam stopped in his tracks when he saw Michael, but the men quickly headed towards one another and get each other hearty hugs. "Mikey! I am glad to see you. I thought you'd be gone longer. How long are you staying?"

"Two days then I have to go out on my next mission." Michael said, his voice dripping with exhaustion.

Sam smiled and asked "Can you tell us where you were or where you are going?" When Michael shook his head, Sam sighed and answered his own question. "I know, top secret stuff. I'm just glad you are back in one piece. We all miss you. Even some of the waitresses at Carlito's are asking for you. Can you at least tell us how long you are stuck doing these missions? "

Maddie yelled "Sam! Let Michael be. He's only here for two days and I am not going to have you grill him about where he's been or where he is going. I'm just happy you three are under the same roof."

In a stilted voice, Michael said "You can help me with something Sam. Help me find Fiona before I go back. I need to talk to her, to make her understand..."

Sam held his hand up to signal Michael to stop talking. "We tried to find her. She still has her cell and we constantly leave messages. We tried tracking her signal but that was a bust. We call her with dinner invites and job offers. She never calls us back. No one knows where she is. Barry tried tracking her financials with no luck. Mikey, we even asked Seymour. He has no clue where she is and she hasn't approached him at all. I'm sorry, but she doesn't want to be found. Not yet anyway."

"I need to tell her to be patient. I have to do two more missions and then I can retire. I need to tell her to wait before she makes any decisions that will hurt us both." Michael said as his hands and voice shook.

Jesse entered and heard Michael talking. "Mike, she's hidden herself. We look for her everyday almost, but none of her contacts or ours know anything. She does check her messages though. We've let her a ton of messages and her voice-mail is never full, so she has to be checking them."

Michael pulled out his phone and dialed Fiona's number. It eventually went to voice-mail. "Fi, it's Michael. When you get this message call me back. I leave Wednesday morning and we both know we need to talk. I need to explain things to you. We can still have the life we dreamed about. Call me back soon."

Putting his phone back in his pocket, he sat at the table again, looking sad and dejected. Sam came over and placed his hands on his shoulders. "You left a message. You said what you had to, now its up to her."

As Jesse took a drink from his water bottle, his eyes lit up. "Sam, we have to show him what we've been doing when we aren't working."  
"I almost forgot about that. Mikey, come on and we'll show you the project we have going." Sam said pulling his car keys out.

Maddie said to the group. "Have fun but don't be long. I want Michael to rest and then all of us to have dinner together."

As they piled into Sam's car, Michael asked "Where are we going?" Neither men answered him. "Should I be worried?"

"Nope. I just hope you'll be happy. We've been working pretty hard on this." Sam said, sounding a little nervous.

As the men drove, they chatted and filled Michael in on their latest job. Michael responded appropriately, but his thoughts were mostly of Fiona and how he could find her. He had to make her listen. He was so deep in his thoughts that he didn't even notice Sam pulled into the parking area of the loft.

"What are we doing at the loft? Fi and I burned it after we came back from Panama." Michael said.

Jesse, getting out of the car, answered "We know, but we also knew we needed a place separate from your Mom's house when we started taking clients so we wouldn't bring attention to her. Go inside and see what work we've done so far."

Michael got out of the car and slowly climbed the stairs. At the top, he took a deep breath and opened the door. He remembered the last time he was there with Fiona, holding her hands as they watched their home burn. Her snow globes, pictures and their bed were ablaze. Now the loft was empty, evidence of the fire had been replaced by a new floor and fresh paint on the walls. Where the kitchen was, stood a new work table made of metal and new cabinets with appliances.

Sam joined Michael inside and began to walk around, pointing out the hard work he and Jesse did. Michael wasn't listening, as he remember little moments that he shared with Fiona, but he did hear Sam's final explanation of the work. "We had to take down the upstairs, we couldn't find a way to fix that ourselves so it was removed."

When Michael didn't say anything, Sam continued to speak. "I know this place belonged to you and Fiona, but when we are done, you can have it back again. Especially if you have only two more missions and then you are out. It won't be the same and there are memories here, but you need your own space. We'll find another place to do our work. This is your place and you belong here."

"Where does Fiona belong?"

"Here. She belongs here Mikey, but she has to realize that. Until then you need a place that you can call your own."

Michael nodded and mumbled "Thanks Sam."

Jesse joined the men upstairs and said "Sam, we have to go. Sanzo just called me and he wants to meet with us. I think he's going to flip sooner than we thought."

Michael quickly asked "Do you guys need help?"

"No way brother. You are on the bench until you retire. I want you to finish those two jobs and get out of the CIA. We don't want to give them any reason to keep you longer, so you play by their rules. Spend time with your Mom and rest. If I find out you talked to Seymour or Barry about work or finding Fiona, Jesse and I will become ghosts to you. Lay low and we will find her." Sam said loudly, hoping Michael got his point. "We'll drop you back off at your Mom's and then we'll be out for a bit."

The men drove back to Madeline's in silence and came inside to change their clothes to get ready for their meeting. When they walked inside, Maddie was having tea with her next door neighbor and another woman, who was a bit younger than Michael.

"Michael, you remember Gracie that lived next door, don't you?" Maddie said pointing to a short thin woman with long brown hair. "She's moved back home to help take care of her mother and runs the occasional errand for me. She was always such a nice girl."

The two shook hands and Michael offered Grace a smile. She quickly returned it, stating "The last time I saw you, was at my brother's birthday party. I was about ten years old, both Nate and my brother were fourteen, so you must have been seventeen."

Michael remembered her. "You followed your brother and Nate everywhere, I remember. Listen, it was good seeing you." Michael turned to his mom and said "I'll be in the garage. I have some work to do."

As he walked out of the room, Grace sat down at the table and asked her mother "How big of an idiot was I talking about Nate? His eyes glazed over as I talked."

Maddie, who watched the whole exchange, offered her support. "Not as big as you think. He has some things on his mind, but I'm sure you made a good impression."

Once inside the garage, Michael pulled out his cell phone again. "Fi, it's Michael. Call me back as soon as you can."

Michael dialed another number. This time his secretary answered. "Hey, its me. I need you to do a search for someone but I need you to do it quietly. All the information you need is taped to the bottom of my top file cabinet drawer. I'll talk to you when I come back into the office Wednesday."

Michael ended the call and looked around the empty garage. Not quite sure what his next move was regarding Fiona, he covered his face with his hands and let out a muffled frustrated scream. All he knew was he had to find Fiona and make her listen to him.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N~You've made it this far in my story, so thank you! Again, this isn't everyone's cup of tea so if you don't like it you don't have to read.

I hope you enjoy, because I'm having a super fun time writing this!

Sorry for the delay, I've been laid up with sinus issues! Not fun!

* * *

As soon as his second mission ended, Michael began to follow up on several leads his assistant had gotten on Fiona. She was seen in New York initially, so Michael started there. His assistant managed to scrounge up an address for Fiona, which Michael promptly traveled to in hopes Fiona would be there. Michael knocked on the door. He heard scurrying in the apartment and hushed voices. Knocking again he said in a loud firm voice "Open up!" Finally someone unlocked the door.

"What do you want" a big burly man answered.

"I'm looking for Fiona Glenanne." Michael said, holding up a picture of her. "I received information that she might be here."

"Haven't seen her." the man said as he began to close the door. Michael stopped him by putting his foot in the door.

"Are you sure? I have to find this woman. It's extremely important I talk to her."

The man tried to push Michael's foot out of the way but stopped when he flashed his CIA identification. Begrudgingly, he took the picture from Michael and studied it carefully. "Fine. I did see her. I sublet the apartment from her, which is against the leasing contract but i needed a place really bad. She said she was looking to move out west. I think California. Not sure though. I gave her enough money to cover the year here and she was gone." The man now seemed worried. "Dude, you can't tell anyone I'm here. If the landlord gets wind of this, I'll be homeless. I have no place left to go and no money since I paid up front for the year."

Michael stood there, looking at the burly man in front of him. It took him a moment to process what he was saying. Michael tried to ease the man's worries. "Don't worry. I'm not here to get you in trouble. If you hear from her, give her my name and number." He handed the man his business card and mumbled "Thank you" as he walked away..

Feeling his spirits begin to sink. He called his assistant and told him he was off to California to locate a friend. He would be back about in time before his new mission was to start.

California turned out to be a similar situation, except this time he was directed to New Jersey. Michael gained information from a retired CIA contact that Fiona was living in Hoboken, New Jersey. She had been doing some work for a bounty hunter, catching criminals that jumped bail and were hiding in either New Jersey or New York. Michael sat in his rental car, watching the restaurant Fiona was reported to frequently be seen having dinner with other bounty hunters. The restaurant had outside seating and since it was warm, Michael knew she'd choose the outside tables. After an hour of watching, he saw Fiona. She was easy to spot as she was the smallest of the group, most beautiful and had the longest hair. She hadn't changed much in the time they had been apart. He watched her for a bit, then decided he should approach her.

Getting out of the car, he strode confidently down the street, stopped by one sight only. It was the sight of Fiona kissing another man. First, she put her arm around him. Next she whispered something in the man's ear, causing him to smile. Then he kissed her in the way only a lover would kiss the object of their affection. Michael watched but turned away before the kiss ended so he wouldn't have been noticed. Heartbroken he went back to his car and sat there. He had no idea how long he sat there, but he finally pulled away from the curb, driving past where Fiona was sitting with her new lover. Giving one last look at Fiona, he bit his top lip and tried to keep his composure.

Getting back to his hotel room, his cell phone began to ring. Seeing it was Sam, he answered it as he entered the room and laid down on the bed.

"What Sam?" he asked warily.

"I was just calling to find out if you made any progress on finding Fi. I tried all my contacts but no one knew anything about her in Jersey..." Sam said.

"I found her Sam." Michael answered.

Sam waited for Michael to say more but he didn't. After what felt like forever he asked "Did you talk to her and make her understand that you will be leaving the CIA and that everything could be ok with you guys like it used to be?"

Sighing, Michael covered his eyes with his hand and said to Sam "She's moved on. I saw her and she was kissing another man. I left. I didn't even talk to her. She's moved on Sam. What do I do now?"

Without missing a beat, Sam said "Check out of the room right now and come back to Miami. You have a few days left before you leave again your Mom said. Pick out the earliest flight to Miami and I'll come pick you up. I don't care what time the flight lands. Just come home, to where you belong Brother."

Michael did as Sam instructed. He grabbed his duffel bag and his other belongings and left the room. Stopping by the front desk, he rang the bell. The attendant walked out and greeted him with a smile. "Sir, is there something wrong?"

"I'm checking out." Michael said in a monotone voice.

The attendant was confused. "You just checked into your room. You can stay there all night you know."

Putting on his sunglasses, Michael countered the attendants remarks by saying "I know, but my visit here didn't turn out as I planned and I'm going home."

The attendant said no more and quietly checked Michael out of his room. Getting into his rental car, he headed to the airport. Even though part of him wanted to go and chase after Fiona and beg her to listen to him, a more logical part of him knew that whatever relationship they had in the past, would be staying in the past. He drove to the airport going over in his head everything that occurred between them from Panama up until he saw her kissing someone else, hoping there was a spark of hope. When he realized that he had lost Fiona forever, he let the tears he was holding back fall from eyes.

Once he managed to pull himself together, he walked into the airport, booked a flight and called Sam. "Sam, I'm landing at two in the morning. If you don't want to get me, that's fine. I can get a cab to my Mom's house.

"Will you stop be ridiculous? I will be there to pick you up." Sam assured Michael he would be at the airport when he landed. He quickly asked "Are you ok?"

Michael sat down in the seats at the airport and leaned back. Being a man of few words, he said "No."

Sam sighed and said "You will be. Give it time. I'll see you at two in the morning."

Turning around to Maddie, who had just arrived home from seeing a movie with one of her friends asked "Do you think Jesse would mind if we moved him out of here for a bit and put him up in Elsa's hotel?"

Maddie thought for a moment and answered "I don't think so, why?"

"Mikey's coming home. He got some leads on Fi, and he followed them." Sam said, stopping as he dreaded saying the words that came out of Michael's mouth earlier.

"And?" she asked.

Sighing and shaking his head "He found her in New Jersey. One problem though."

"What is it Sam? Spit it out!" Maddie screamed in frustration.

Realizing he couldn't drag it out any longer, he said "She was kissing another man. Michael saw it and he's pretty upset. He called me and I told him to come back home. The loft isn't ready for him and I don't think he's ready for the loft yet either."

Lighting a cigarette, Maddie said "Jesse will either stay in the garage or go to Elsa's hotel. I can't believe she would do this to him. How could she move on so fast?"

"Wish I knew Maddie, if only for Mike's sake, I wish I knew." Sam uttered.

Jesse packed a suitcase and went to the hotel. It was nearly 3:30am when Michael and Sam came home. Michael dropped his bag in the living room and walked into the dining room. He noticed that all the pictures of Michael and Fiona had been replaced with more pictures of himself, Nate and Charlie. "What do I do now Sam? I retire soon but now I have nothing or no one to come back home to."

Sam knew this look before, Michael was totally defeated. He hated that women were one of the few things to completely destroy a man and Michael was destroyed. "We get some sleep, tomorrow you help Jesse and me at the loft. Before you say anything, we don't have to make it like it was before. I know that place has a lot of memories in it for you, but since it was completely destroyed we can make it completely new. Move stuff around, get you real furniture. Maybe a nice TV and computer."

"I don't want any of that. I just want Fiona back." Michael softly said.

Embracing Michael in a tight hug and patting his back, he said "I know Brother. You look exhausted. Let's get to bed and we'll figure out everything once you get up."

Nodding, Michael went to bed, falling asleep quickly. Sam sat down on the couch and gave a sigh of relief. Knowing he only had a short time to put Michael back together before he left on his next mission, he laid down and closed his eyes, hoping the morning would bring peace to Michael.

Around ten in the morning Michael woke up. He showered and changed, grabbing a yogurt from the fridge. An hour later Sam and Jesse picked Michael up and they went to the loft. Sam had him drilling shelves onto the wall. As Michael began to work, he started to think about the shelf he made for Fiona's snowglobes. He then remember the look on her face as she watched all her cherished snowglobes shatter and break in the loft fire. Feeling a mixture of anger and sadness turn to rage, he threw the drill across the room and screamed.

Picking up the drill, Sam exclaimed "Jesus Mike! You could have killed one of us. Calm down."

"How am i supposed to calm down Sam? I screwed up. I have single handedly managed to ruin my life and probably everyone else's around me."

Jesse tried to ease Michael's mind. "Panama sucked because i had no shoes and being on the run from Riley was pretty horrible too, but my life isn't ruined. We are free and still alive, so I think we did ok for ourselves."

Sam however didn't want to be so gentle on Michael. He knew he had to make him see what options were available. "You didn't ruin our lives. You made everything right, just like you promised me you would. Now you have to make things right for yourself. What do you think is the right thing for you to do? Do you go fight for Fiona or do you move on your own life? You need to decide what you are going to do next. If you want to fight for Fiona, go back to New Jersey and win her back. If you are going to move on with your life, then get over the fact that Fiona isn't here and she won't be coming back."

Michael threw his hands up in the air. "Tell me how I am supposed to move on with my life? When I reconnected with her in Miami, and everything was finally going good, I saw a future with her. Now everything is gone. How man my age start from scratch when I was in love with someone for nearly twenty years?"

"You get up each day and you keep moving forward. Everything will fall in place but you need to figure out your starting point. Where are you going to begin your new life? Its up to you." Jesse advised. "We can't watch you stand around and be stagnant. You need to keep moving forward and then everything eventually will fall into place."

Michael sat on the floor and began playing with a nail that laid in front of him. Sam and Jesse worked around him. Michael didn't know how long he had been thinking for but he finally spoke in a voice that cracked on occasion. "She left me. I never once left her. When she dated Campbell and was in prison, I never looked at another woman. I can't chase her anymore. I don't know how many times I called her and emailed her begging for a chance to explain. I'm moving on without her."

Sam sat next to Michael and said "You understand that moving on without her means totally cutting her from your life. No more calls, emails and searches for her. Are you prepared to not have her around at all?"

"I am. She doesn't want me and has made that clear."

Jesse stopped his work and said "It's going to be hard but we have your back. Always have and always will."

The next few days Michael helped the men with the renovations. Jesse noticed that Michael wasn't shaving. "Sam, what's with Mike's face?"

"The beard and mustache?" Sam asked. Jesse nodded. "When Fiona dated Campbell, he didn't shave. I think its his way of coping."

Jesse nodded, understanding what Sam was explaining.

The morning he was supposed to leave, Michael was sitting at the dining room table, when he heard the front door open. Grace entered, carrying books.

"What are you doing here?" Michael asked in a grumpy voice.

Grace narrowed her eyes at Michael and said slowly "As you can see, I am leaving books for your mother. My mother thought she might enjoy them." She paused for a moment and said "I don't mean to sound rude, but you look horrible. Are you even sleeping?"

"Its none of your business and why would you tell someone they look bad?" Michael pushed the bowl of cereal out of his way and rested his head in his hands. "Would you mind leaving me alone?"

Maddie entered the room and greeted Grace brightly. She gave her a hug and asked "How are you doing? Are you doing ok since your breakup? You two were together for nearly four years, right?"

"I am ok. Its getting better. I take each day as it comes." Grace said slowly, trying to figure out why Maddie was asking in front of Michael.

"See, just take it day by day Michael. You'll be ok." Maddie said smiling at her son.

Grace grabbed her purse and keys and was getting ready to leave when Maddie said brightly "Michael, you should go out for dinner with Grace. She's a nice girl and when you come home again I think it'd be nice to have a female friend to talk to since you are done with Fiona."

Michael's jaw dropped open. Grace, also stunned, broke the silence by saying "I wouldn't mind going to dinner when he comes back, but I think Michael needs some time to enjoy his retirement that you've been telling me about." Looking at her watch, Grace said "I have to go take Mom to the doctors, so I will talk to you guys later." Grace quickly walked out the door, leaving Michael and Maddie alone.

"Mom, I don't want to be set up with anyone right now. I am perfectly happy alone. If I can't have Fiona, I don't want anyone." Michael said, raising his voice.

Maddie came to Michael's side and hugged him as he sat in the chair. "Take all the time you need, but remember that man does not live on bread alone."

Later that evening, Michael was packing Sam's car so he could get a ride to the CIA building to prepare for his last mission. As he put the last piece of luggage in the trunk, he was stopped by Grace who was getting ready to go jogging.

"I hope you werent too mad at your Mom, she just wants to see you happy. From the conversations we had I guessed you are coming out of a relationship too?"

Michael sighed and said "We were together a long time. I don't want to talk about it right now, though."

Quickly digging into her purse, Grace pulled out a piece of paper and scribbled her phone number on it. Handing it to Michael she said "We are both in the same boat, fresh out of relationships. You need to talk to someone. I am great at listening, so if you need to unload, I am a phone call or text away." She smiled and added "Wherever you are going next, be safe and come home in one piece. When you are feeling more pleasant, we can go out to dinner."

Michael's face must have looked panicked. Grace reached out and touched his arm. "It's just two people going to dinner and relaxing. It's not a date, so don't worry."

Not knowing what to say, Michael said "Thank you. I'll be in touch when I'm ready."

Grace put on her headphones and said before leaving on her jog, "I'll be waiting."

Michael sat in the front seat of Sam's car and started to feel guilty for even talking to another woman. He chastised himself, remembering he was moving forward just as Fiona had. Maybe dinner with a neighbor would be a good place to start.

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_**Thanks for reading & if you review, please be gentle. Thank you!**_

_**Chapter 4 will be coming soon!**_


	4. Chapter 4

When Michael got to his office, before Michael leaving on his third and final mission for the CIA, he sat at his desk and called Fiona for the last time. He knew he told Sam and Jesse he wasn't going to try her again, but he had to give her one last chance. He wasn't surprised when he got her voice mail, the same result as all the other times he had tried to reach her. He left a very short message.

"Fi, it's Michael. I can't get you to answer your phone, so when you have a chance _please_ check your email." he asked before hanging up his phone. The last thing he did before leaving his office, was to type an email.

_Dear Fiona,_

_This is the last time I will contact you, but I have to try. I hope you are safe and happy. _

_There are so many things to say but I don't have long to tell them to you. I wish you had let me talk and explain why I made a deal with the CIA and what the deal entailed. The main idea was that I work for the CIA and everyone would go free and your lives would return to normal. I could have fought but I knew I would lose. If I had lost then you would have been handed over to MI6 or deported. You were my love and I couldn't do that to you. So instead, after everything you all sacrificed for me, I made a sacrifice for you. My freedom for yours._

_If you would have given me time to explain to you what happened, we could be looking at the future we always wanted once I finished my work. _

_You didn't and I know you have moved on in your life. I'm moving on with mine as well. _

_Whatever you do, wherever you go, remember that I love you and you will always be my first love. If you need me, you know where I am._

_Michael _

Michael reread the email several times before hitting the send button.

The last mission took longer than he expected, but after a month and a half, most of the mess left behind from Card and Riley were cleaned up. Michael spent about a week in DC being debriefed and finalized his retirement.

Back in Florida, Maddie knowing that Fiona was not coming back, packed away anything that could remind Michael of Fiona. She stored it in the attic, in case the tides turned and Fiona did return. When Michael finally got word to his family that the mission was behind schedule, they decided to redecorate the loft. They bought a couch, television, computer and bed for Michael. One day when the boys were busy, she called and asked Grace to take her to the mall to shop for a few things.

When they arrived at the mall, Grace parked and asked Maddie "What is it we are shopping for today?"

"Well, Michael's home has been repaired but I want to get him something to break up the areas because now he has a proper living room and bedroom set. The loft should look like a home, not a warehouse." Maddie said.

Grace and Maddie exited the car as Grace said "Room dividers are what he needs. Maybe we can go to Bulls-Eye and find some partitions there."

Maddie agreed and followed Grace as they shopped for Michael. When they were all done shopping, Grace drove Maddie to the loft and they dropped off their purchases. Inside they were both shocked to see Michael.

"Honey! You are home! I hope its for good." Maddie said, giving Michael a big hug.

Grace smiled and said as she headed to the door, "I'm glad you are back safe. I'm going to give you two some time alone. I'll be downstairs when you are ready to leave Maddie."

"She is such a nice girl. I dragged her all over town today." Maddie said. She was going to continue as she started to unpack the shopping bags but Michael stopped her.

"You guys went out and bought me furniture." Michael noted.

Maddie nodded. "We did. You left Sam some cash for renovations and we didn't know how you would feel when you came back, so we thought getting a bed and a couch would be a good start."

Michael smiled and said "Thanks Mom."

Looking around the loft, Michael was relieved to see that it did look different from when he first arrived in Miami after being burned.

He must of had a sad look about him because Maddie was being overly cheerful. If he was sad, she didn't want him to be alone, so she said "Come over tonight and we'll have take out. Anywhere you want. I'll have Sam come for you in a bit."

Michael nodded and walked off into the kitchen. He grabbed a bottle of water and headed out to the balcony, closing the doors behind him. When he heard the door close, he pulled out his phone and dialed Fiona's number. Silent tears began to fall down his face as he listened to the operator message.

"_This number has been disconnected." _

He knew it was finally over. Michael regained his composure and looked around the loft. He noticed that when they decorated, they had made sure that his new surroundings did not remind him of his past. He began to unpack and then showered. After he got dressed, he sat down for a moment and remembered the last moment he saw Fiona. She looked so beautiful walking towards him from her cell.

He was jolted from his thoughts by a hand on his shoulder and a familiar voice saying "Mikey? You alright? I knocked and knocked but there was no answer, so I came inside." Sam said.

"I know I said I was done, but I sent an email before I left. She never opened it and she's changed her number Sam. It's disconnected now. It's finally over." Michael replied in a defeated tone.

Sam sighed. He took Michael's elbow and nudged him forward. "Come on. Mom and Jesse are waiting for you. If you want, you can join Jesse and I on a bit of surveillance tomorrow. I can only take so much of him complaining about this heat wave."

Michael forced out a laugh and stood up. He sat in Sam's car and thought out loud. "I think the first thing I need to do tomorrow is buy a car. They wouldn't let me have the Charger back, even after I retired."

"You know what? You take my car tonight and I will get a ride back to the hotel with Jesse. You can join us later on another surveillance. Take your time Mikey, this is a whole new ballgame for you and you shouldn't rush anything. Let's go see your Mom and Jesse. I'm sure they'll be happy to see you."

The evening went smoothly. Even though Michael looked sullen and picked at his dinner, he answered everyone's questions about where he was and what he was doing. Michael ended up staying the night at his mother's house. He liked the loft, he just wasn't ready to be alone in it.

In the morning, he got into Sam's car and sat in the driveway with his cell phone in his hand.

"Don't do it!" He heard a female voice from the passenger window.

Michael looked out the drivers side window, hoping to avoid her. She spoke again. "Don't call her! I am serious. Put that phone down or else I will take it from you."

"How do you know who I am calling?" Michael countered, finally looking at her.

Grace smiled and said "The guy I dated before the one I just left, that guy left me. I've been there before so I've made the calls and sent the same emails you probably have. I understand what you are going through."

Michael lowered his head and looked at the phone, he had pulled up Fiona's number but still hadn't called it. He knew it was disconnected but he still wanted to try.

"I'll give you some friendly advice. You don't have to talk. Just listen to what I have to say. You think you are ok now and you might be, but guaranteed you'll get to a point where you feel crushed and overwhelmed." Grace softened her voice, her usually loud and energetic voice because slow, no louder than a whisper. "Don't close yourself off. Talk to your friends, your Mom, you could even call me if you wanted someone to listen to you. "

Michael looked at Grace and asked "Why do you care?"

Grace shrugged her shoulders. "What can I say? I know a kindred spirit when I see one. I have to go, so call me if you need me." She said as she walked back to her car.

Michael smiled a little as he turned his phone off and pulled out of the driveway, heading towards the first car lot he could think of.

While Michael was shopping for cars, Sam sat on Elsa's couch while she worked at her desk. In one hand he had a list of phone numbers and in the other he held his phone. After sitting on the couch and not moving for quite some time, Elsa asked "Sam, you know there is a table in front of you that you could put down the paper and the phone."

"Remember I told you awhile ago that Fiona has a new guy and Mikey is moving on with his life, without fighting for her?" Elsa nodded, while Sam continued. "Well, it's not sitting right with me and I have to try one last time for both their sakes."

Elsa tilted her head and asked "How to plan on trying to accomplish this?"

Holding the paper in his left hand he said "This is a list of bounty hunters in New Jersey. Most of the places on this list aren't all that legit. When we searched before, we used contacts and legal businesses. I'll start with the county Fiona was seen in and call around. Someone has to know her or someone who can get me in contact with her. I need to make her understand that Mike has given up on her returning."

"Use my desk phone so you don't completely drain your cell phone battery." Elsa picked up her laptop and sat on the couch. "I can work fine from here." When Sam passed by her, Elsa stopped him and gave him a kiss. "Michael has no idea how lucky he is to have you as a friend."

Sam smiled and sat down at Elsa's desk. After trying for an hour, with no leads, he called a bail bonds company that was suggested by a friend of his. Like the other companies, they weren't the most professional but they got the job done.

"Hi, I'm looking for a lady by the name of an Irish lady named Fiona Glenanne. I was wondering if she works for you or maybe you could put me in touch with people who might know her."

The man on the line sounded gruff. He answered "I know her. She's right here. She's my best hunter. You want to speak to her? She's working a job later today, but she'll be free tomorrow."

Sam said "Tell her its an old friend Chuck Finley and I have to talk to her about a possible job."

He heard Fiona's familiar voice. "What do you want Chuck? I'm busy right now."

Immediately Sam started to talk. "Fi, I know you said you were done, but I just want you to listen to what I have to say. Mikey's retired. He had three missions to complete for the CIA and now he's out. He knows you are in New Jersey and that you have a job. What you don't know is that he's miserable without you. He grew a beard and he's not the friendliest person to be around right now. I'm calling to tell you he's decided to move on with his life without you. If you still want him, come back and fight for him. It'll take work but I think you guys could work through it. Give him a chance Fi. He's not working for the CIA so you two can live happily ever after. After everything you two have been through, just give him one more chance. Otherwise Maddie is going to set Michael up with her neighbor's daughter. Do you really think he'd be happy dating an average girl after being with you since he landed in Miami?"

"Oh Chuck" she whispered. "I'm very sorry but I can't work with you right now. I hope you understand. Give my regards to everyone and thanks for calling." Fiona tearfully said as she hung up the phone.

Elsa sat on the edge of the couch with baited breath "Well Sam, what did she say? Is she coming back to Miami?"

Shaking his head, Sam said "Nope. She sounded sad but not sad enough to come back."

Sam leaned back in Elsa's chair. She came over and sat in his lap. Wrapping his arms around Elsa her, he asked "Why didn't you move on when I left you standing by the boat? You had no idea when or if I would even be back."

WIthout hesitation Elsa answered "I never worried about if you were or weren't coming back. I knew you would find your way back to me or send word on how to find you."

"I always thought Mike and Fi would find their way back to one another." Sam sadly said.

"Maybe they weren't meant to be. Maybe they were like me and my late husband. We were only meant to be for a short time. Maybe their next romance will be the one to withstand the test of time make them as happy as you make me." Elsa pointed out.

As Sam pulled Elsa into a kiss, he said "Oh baby, you have no idea how happy you make me."

Elsa ended the kiss, locked her office door and had her receptionist hold her calls while she and Sam spent the day in the office together being thankful for not losing the love of the other one.


	5. Chapter 5

A/N~Issues w/ FF seem to be gone for me, so I'll keep posting here & on my blog. Sorry if this isn't turning out to be your cup of tea...but I'm having fun doing this story! Even if you don't like this idea, I hope you enjoy it on another level...if not, I'll be working on Sick too-I'm just a tiny bit stuck on that but I'll be back at it soon.

* * *

Being alone was hard. It took Michael almost a week before he would sleep in the loft. Everywhere he looked he saw Fiona, even though his family worked hard to make the loft seem different than before he and Fiona burned it. He remember how she felt in his arms as he held her, begging her to not turn herself over to the authorities. When he looked into the kitchen, he remembered the horrifically pain filled first night he spent without Fiona. The bed reminded him of all the passionate nights they spent together, as well as the comfort the bed and Fiona provided after Nate's funeral when he finally felt the crushing grief that he lost his baby brother and probably his mother at the same time. Never could he forget the night they burned the loft and how sad they both were to see their home in flames. Each time he remembered his past, he was reduced to tears.

Each day Sam or Jesse would bring Maddie over and they would check on Michael. The first few days Michael did not interact with anyone, he would just sit on the balcony staring off into the distance. The beard on his face and the exhaustion in his eyes made him look older than he really was. However, they knew what he was thinking about and gave him space. One day when Michael was alone with Maddie, both sitting outside, Michael asked "After everything I did for with her and for her, why did she leave me? She walked away without letting me explain. I loved her and did everything for her. I had to do it Mom. She would have been deported and killed if I didn't."

Maddie had no answer. "I understand how she felt. You promised to leave the CIA but when we were released, all she saw was your suit and you being in charge of some mission. Its hard when someone you love keeps breaking promises to you. She felt like you betrayed her."

Looking over Maddie saw tears falling down Michael's face. She stood up and wrapped her arms around her son and said "After all you had been through, she should have stayed to listen to you. She owed you that much. She's known you long enough to know that you are a honorable man and everything you do has a deeper meaning behind it. If you had a chance to explain it to her and she still left, then that's a different story. It's always hurts when you aren't given a chance to explain." Maddie stood there for sometime comforting Michael.

When he was ready, he got up, kissed his mother on the head and said "Let me take you home. Then I'm going to come back and get some rest. I'm tired." Maddie smiled softly and hugged Michael.

"You will be ok. It will take time, but you will be fine." Maddie reminded her broken son.

The next day, Michael got a call from Sam. "Brother, I hate to do this to you, but I kinda need my car back. Elsa is getting annoyed with how I drive her cars and we got into a little fight last night."

"Say no more. You can have the car back. I'm going to do some looking today and early tomorrow. I'll drop it off by lunch tomorrow."

Sam's call was twofold, he really needed the car back, but he was also worried about Michael. He asked "How are you doing?"

Inhaling deeply, Michael let out an uneven breath and said "It's been a long week Sam."

"I know. It'll get easier though." Sam sympathized. Even though Michael hated surveillance, Sam decided to try and get Michael out of the loft. "Listen, I need some company tomorrow on a surveillance. Come along. If anything, it'll get you out of the loft."

Michael agreed and met Sam to accompany him on his job. Sam did a lot of talking. Telling Michael about the hotel and Elsa's dealings with the staff. He tried his best to keep Michael engaged and not ending up too deep in his own head. Out of the blue, Michael began to talk.

"Sam, I miss the Charger. That was the one thing I knew was mine. No matter what, it was always there. You know how hard I worked to get that car working. I wish it was at my Mom's house or the loft waiting for me to return."

Sam took a moment and realized that Michael wasn't really talking about the car. The car was a metaphor for Fiona. He wasn't expecting Michael to talk about Fiona, but was happy he was opening up, even if he was speaking in code.

"Well, the Charger was the best car you ever had. You put a lot of hard work into the car. Heck, you made me realize that with the same hard work and attention to detail that I could even have a rel...car...like you did." Sam was speaking slowly, trying his best to remember he was using the car as a replacement in his discussion which was really about Fiona.

Michael stared straight ahead and sighed heavily. "I miss the car everyday. All I want is to have it back. I feel lost."

"I miss F...the car too." Sam paused hoping Michael didn't notice his slip of the tongue. He quickly continued. "No matter how you cut it, the car is gone Mikey and you aren't getting it back. You tried your hardest, we all tried, to get the car back. Maybe its time you look for another vehicle and move on. It won't be the same, but you can still find happiness with another wom...car." Sam cursed himself for being terrible with the metaphorical speech today.

Michael nodded. He didn't want another car, but he knew Sam was right. The Charger was never coming back and he needed to move on. He tried his best, but he knew that sometimes your best is not good enough.

After the surveillance, the men headed back to Maddie's. As Sam headed inside the house, Michael looked across the yard and saw Grace kicking her car. He began to walk across the lawn and see what was wrong. As he neared Grace he saw her walk into the garage, grab a baseball bat and approach the car. Michael, realizing that maybe he could get Grace to loan him her car if he played his cards right, quickened his pace and grabbed Grace from behind. He wrapped his arms around her, so she couldn't raise them and turn the car into a wreck of dented metal.

"Drop the bat." Michael said, trying to keep his hold on Grace. He squeezed a little tighter.

"Let me go! This piece of crap car has been nothing but trouble since the day I took it from my ex and now I'm going to use it for batting practice!" She screamed.

"You swing at the car, with that bat and you are going to hurt yourself. Either you will break your hand or get hit by flying parts." Michael held her tight speaking in a low tone "Put the bat down. I have an offer to make you."

Grace let the bat fall to the ground and stopped struggling. Michael let her go, grabbing the bat and putting it back in the garage. Grace started to pace. "What do you want from me?"

Michael grabbed Grace's shoulders to stop her from walking and advised "Calm down and listen to me. I am proposing a deal. I fix the car today, tomorrow you take me car shopping."

Quickly she countered Michael's request and asked "Why don't you ask Sam, Jesse or your Mom? Why ask me?"

"Sam and Jesse are busy and both need their cars." Michael explained. He narrowed his eyes and moved closer to Grace. He asked "Have you ever been shopping with my Mom?"

Grace folded her arms and smiled. "Yes. I don't wish that on my worst enemy. I love your mother but she's worse than my three year old niece after giving her candy." Pointing at the car she said 'I will take you shopping as long as you fix this piece of junk."

They shook on the deal and Michael looked under the hood. Four hours later Michael had the car running. He walked into Grace's house and found her in the kitchen. Leaning on the kitchen counter as she washed dishes, he told her "I held up my end of the deal. The car sounds brand new. Your ex wasn't big on car maintenance was he?"

Grace answered as she released a heavy sigh. "No. He was more into other pursuits." Putting her towel on the counter, she tilted her head and crinkled her nose. "I guess I could take you car shopping tomorrow.. I have some work to do in the morning. Let's say one in the afternoon I come to the loft and we start shopping?"

Grace stood on her tiptoes and kissed his cheek. "You know, I would have gone shopping with you even if you didn't get the car running."

Michael froze for a moment but then began to smile a little. His phone began to ring. He pulled it out of his pocket and rolled his eyes. "Hi Mom. Yes, I am still with Grace. I will be there in a minute."

Snapping the towel at Michael, Grace said "See you tomorrow."

Not knowing what to say, Michael simply said "One o'clock" and headed over to his mother's house. He was conflicted, feeling happy that he actually saw a future in Miami with his family and friends, but still sad about losing Fiona. Pushing his feeling aside, he walked into the house and hoped the next day would come quickly.


	6. Chapter 6

Sam and Jesse were at the loft working on their latest job while Michael scurried around the loft, getting dressed and doing chores. Close to one o'clock, Michael went outside to open the doors for Grace. Just as he opened them, she pulled into the lot.

"You must be psychic" she said as she stepped out of the car.

Michael said dryly "Maybe I am good at reading the clock. Stay here, I need to run upstairs to get something."

When Michael arrived back upstairs, he could hear Sam and Jesse pretending to be busy. "I know you guys were watching."

"Hey Mikey, she's pretty cute. She single?" asked Sam, winking at Jesse.

Michael looked up from the bank statements he was planning on bringing with him. "She is single. Anyway, haven't you run into her at my Mom's?"

"Just passed by her a few times. Never talked though." Sam said, smoothing his hair down.

Jesse looked out to door again and turned back to the men. "You should ask her out Mike. She's got some nice..." Jesse paused as he searched for the right word "Assets."

"I'm heading downstairs and talk to her. Maybe introduce her to the 'Sammy Charm'. I'll talk you up so you can make your move."

Michael, who was half listening, realized what Sam said and shouted after him as he descended the stairs "Sam, leave her alone. She's just a friend."

Michael walked out of the loft and downstairs, laughing to himself as Grace shot him a look and rolled her eyes as Sam talked to her. Saying goodbye to Sam, she got in the car.

"Lock up when you are done. I don't know when I will be back." Michael said.

"Mikey, she is great. Funny, quick thinking and very pretty. I think you guys would make a nice looking couple."

Michael put his sunglasses on and said "She's a friend Sam, don't get excited. I'm not even thinking about getting into a relationship right now, so don't get any ideas."

Sam smiled. "Maybe I can set her up with Jesse. They might make a cute couple."

"She's off limits Sam. You are not setting her up with anyone. End of discussion." Michael rounded the car and climbed inside.

As they pulled out, Jesse descended the stairs. Seeing the devious look in Sam's eyes, he groaned "I know that look in your eyes. You are planning something. Do not tell me you are going to get them to hook up. You heard him. He isn't ready for that."

Grinning broadly Sam teased Jesse "Mikey is a better man when there is a lady he cares about by his side. So get me a diaper, a bow and an arrow because Sammy is going to play Cupid."

Jesse shook his head "Go ahead and try it, but he isn't over Fiona."

"She moved on and so should he. There is no reason he shouldn't be happy. We just have to give him a push in the right direction, that's all I am providing."

As Jesse began to pack the car so they could meet their client, he thought outloud "I just hope this push doesn't send him over a cliff if it doesn't work out."

Sam threw the keys to jesse and said "Trust sammy. I have a good feeling about this one."

Jesse muttered to himself "Good luck Mike, you are about to go on a wild ride."

After Grace and Michael had been on the road towards the first dealership, Michael looked straight ahead and said dryly "Don't be surprised if Sam tries to convince you we should go on a date. I have a feeling he's going to try and set us up."

"Would that be the worst thing in the world?" Grace asked. Seeing Michael stiffen, Grace laughed and quickly added "I'm teasing! I didn't think that would get you so tense."

Michael looked out the window as they drove, noticing being in the car with Grace was different. She played with the radio as she drove. Fiona never drove with music playing, so she could concentrate on driving and her surroundings. Grace payed attention to the road, but was very relaxed. It was surreal to be with someone who had no worries about being chased or shot at, someone constantly on guard. While Michael thought about how he missed the constant action, he also realized how nice it was to be with someone who didn't know of the violent ugly world he had been stuck in. Little by little, he was beginning to enjoy Grace's world.

The first car dealership had nothing that Michael was interested in buying. The cars were overpriced and a bit on the small side. The next lot he found two cars that were promising, but something was holding him back. The last lot proved to be the more welcoming as the salesman greeted them at the door and said out loud "Hi! I'm Lou and I must say I've never seen such a fine looking couple in my showroom!"

Michael's eyes widened as the dealer asked "How long have you kids been together? You look like you are high school sweeties. Probably dated through college and married right after you both graduated. Am I right?"

Just as Michael was going to correct the salesman and explain they were just friends, Grace jumped into the conversation and said "We are high school sweethearts that got married! How did you know? You must be psychic."

"No ma'am! I am just a good judge of character. I also am a good judge as to who will be driving away in a car today. I think that is going to be you folks." the dealer said, nudging Grace's arm. He excused himself to get some car keys of vehicles he wanted to show the couple.

Turning to Grace, Michael quickly said "What are you doing?"

"Just relax and play along. He wants to sell us car. I'll be the wife who likes the shiny cars here and you'll be the husband who is worried about money. We'll good cop, bad cop this guy and get a good deal. Here he comes." Grace said quickly.

Michael played along. He guided Grace towards several cars that he liked, calling her 'sweetie' and 'honey'. While he was talking money with the dealer, he looked over towards Grace and saw her sitting in a car they had looked at when they had first arrived in the showroom. When the dealer went to talk to his manager, Michael walked over and leaned in the passenger's side window.

"I think you like this one." he said.

"I do. It was like driving on a cloud. You should get this one if you are going to buy one."

He opened the car door and sat in the passenger seat. "You need to get this car more than I do. I think you should buy it."

"I have a car." Grace reminded him.

Michael smiled and leaned closer to Grace. "I think you are forgetting why you need a new car." He said. Continuing his explanation, he said slowly "You stole your ex's car. I'm sure he's either going to come looking for it or have the police arrest you for stealing it when you left. Get the car today and I will help you figure out a way to get that wreck of a car back to your ex so you are free of him."

"You have an excellent point. I didn't even think about the car being stolen. I can't go to jail. I would never survive and you'd have to come bust me out." Grace said, gripping the steering wheel tight. Michael immediately flashed back in his mind to when Fiona was in jail. The salesman jarred him from his thoughts when he came to the car. Michael helped get a decent deal, while Grace put the car in her name, telling the salesman they kept their finances separate.

"You should take your wife out for dinner after a day of car shopping." Grace gushed.

Michael leaned against the older car they arrived in, and sighed. "I think I should just follow you home and we'll call it a night."

Grace wasn't taking no for an answer. "Come on! We need to do something fun after all this shopping and I didn't have lunch, so I am starving!"

"We can get something to eat and we'll talk about how to get the car back to your ex." Michael said. Trying to think of a place to eat that wasn't crowded or too fancy, he kept thinking of Carlito's. He was hesitant to go there as he and Fiona alway ate there. It's just a restaurant he reasoned to himself. "How about Carlito's?"

Agreeing to Carlito's, Grace got in her new car and entered the roadway, followed by Michael. They arrived at the same time and were seated quickly. Grace looked around after they ordered and said "I haven't been here in ages. When I turned twenty one, Nate took me here for drinks. I got so drunk and poor Nate had to fend off all these disgusting old guys who kept hitting on me."

Michael leaned back in his seat, took a sip from his drink and laughed. "Did he put the moves on you himself?"

"He did not. Nate may have been a lot of things, but he was always a gentleman. He never put the moves on me. He was sweet."

Grace noticed Michael's face change when she had finished talking about Nate. She realized he was somewhere else in his head. Wanting to bring him back to the moment they were in, she said "Tell me where you went after you left school. What happened to you? My mom said you joined the Army."

"Let's just say I traveled. Europe and the middle east. A little bit of traveling in Asia. South America, but that was a disaster..." Michael said as his voice trailed off.

Realizing that Michael's eyes became sad and darker, Grace squinted her eyes and crinkled her nose while apologizing. "I am sorry Michael! I didn't mean to make our conversation so depressing for you."

"I'm fine." Michael tried to assure Grace. "Let's focus on you. My mom said you've done your share of traveling too. Where have you been?" Michael said, leaning taking a bite of his salad that was brought to the table to the waitress.

As Grace told Michael of where she has traveled, they were unaware that tucked away in a corner of the bar was Sam and Jesse, both enjoying a drink. Sam and Jesse both watched as Grace told her tale to Michael, and they watched in shock as Michael listened. "Jesse, do you see Mikey. He looks..."

"Relaxed." Jesse finished Sams sentence immediately. "He even looks kind of..."

"Happy" Sam said, this time finishing Jesse's sentence. Pulling out his wallet and paying their bill, Sam said to Jesse "Let's leave and give them some space." Both men quickly left. Inside their car, Sam looked at Michael and Grace one more time before driving away. "We need to make sure this works. Mikey deserves a shot a happy life, a new life. She's going to be good for him. I can tell."

Jesse sighed. "I hate to admit it, he never looked like he did tonight when he was with Fiona. Don't worry. I'll help make you play cupid, but I am NOT wearing a diaper. Maybe a nice swimsuit, but no diaper." Both men laughed as they drove off.

When dinner ended, Michael and Grace waited for the bill. "Since I am helping you with your car problem, tell me about your ex. Why did you two break up?" asked Michael. Seeing that Grace looked anxious, he quickly added "If I know why you left, then I can better figure out his frame of mind. Once I know what kind of man he is, it will be easier to return the car."

Grace nodded and took a deep breath. "He is a really cute guy. He's funny and really sweet when you are getting to know him. We dated, I moved in with him and then he started to hit me. First time I thought it was a fluke because he was drunk, but then it happened more and more. I ended up in the ER and after I got home, while he was off on a jog, I packed and ran out of the apartment. He has another car so I thought it wasn't like he was totally without a car." She looked off into the distance and said "I just knew I had to run or else he'd end up killing me."

"Let's focus on the car. The easiest way to handle your ex problem is to leave the car at the mall. Hide the key in the wheelwell, on the tire or if he has a spare set lock the keys in the car. If you leave the car, then you don't have to worry about seeing him again. We'll drop the car off tomorrow, then you can tell him where we left it. Call him now and tell him you are going to leave it at the mall."

Grace pulled her phone out dialed her ex's number. Watching Grace, he was amazed at how fast she changed from a self-assured and funny woman into a scared girl. When the phone call began to get more hostile, Michael grabbed the phone and hung up. "It will be ok." Michael tried to reassure her. They parted ways for the night, Grace allowing Michael to take her ex's car back to the loft. Around eight in the morning they would drop off the car and then she would bring Michael back to the loft as she had some chores to run for her mother the next day.

The next morning, Michael and Grace dropped off the car as agreed upon. Not knowing what the ex looked like, Michael scanned the area but didn't see anything or anyone that acted suspicious. Grace looked around too and didn't see him. Relieved that this would be an easy situation to fix, Grace smiled at Michael and gave him a quick hug. "How can I thank you for helping me? I can offer you money, but i don't have much..."

Flashing her a smile, "How about we do something together again." Michael felt better seeing the smile return to her face.

"Kinda like a date?" Grace gently teased.

"Let's just say its 'two friends getting to know one another better'. I am not ready to date just yet. When I am, you'll be the first to know."

Grace blushed as she walked back to her car. Not knowing what the next few days had in store for them, both secretly felt that there could be a new life waiting for them.


	7. Chapter 7

A/N~Here's chapter 7...have fun...I sure did! As always...thanks to my co-author & editor Arifa for helping me on this.

Grace arrived home and went to bed. Around seven in the morning, she felt a heaviness laying upon her. When she went to move, a hand quickly covered her mouth and whispered into her ear "Are you trying to get up? I don't think so. Don't even think of reaching for your phone either. You are mine. Do you understand?"

Trying to squirm, her captor tightened his grip upon her. This time he moved his hand slightly so her nose was blocked and breathing was nearly impossible. "You are mine. I am going to let go of you but I do not want you to make a sound. You make a sound and I will kill you and your mother. Do you understand." Grace nodded slowly.

When he released his hand from her mouth, he swiftly raised his hand and slapped her forcefully across the cheek, leaving a bright red hand print. With tears in her eyes, Grace whimpered "I'm sorry Bobby. I'm sorry."

Bobby, her ex, mocked her "I'm sorry Bobby." Grabbing a fistful of her long brown hair, he pulled her into the living room. He growled in a low tone "I am going to make you sorry you even left me in the first place. You are nothing but a little..."

He would have continued his tirade but Grace's mother walked out into the living room. He quickly released Grace, who greeted her mother with a smile. "I'm sorry if we woke you. This is Bobby. Bobby, this is my mom."

Sticking his hand out to Grace's mother he said "Grace and I are getting back together. I drove here from Hialeah just to get her back. You are coming home with me, aren't you Grace?"

"Gracie, is this true?" her mother asked. "Are you really going back to Hialeah with him? What about Michael?"

Grace gave her mother a fake smile and replied "Michael is a good friend. Bobby and I are still working it out. Nothing has been decided yet."

Turning to him she said "Bobby, I have to take my mom to the senior center and then I'll be back." Then she headed into her room to change her clothes. She looked around room and saw her landline phone was on her dresser, hidden by her purse. She picked it up to call Michael, but cursed under her breath when she realized the line was dead.

She cringed when she heard him say "I'll come with you."

They all rode in Grace's new car in silence. She agreed to get her mother around noon and then they could have lunch. As they pulled away, Bobby yelled "You spent all this money on a new car and give me back my piece of crap junker? You won't be leaving the house for a long time, so I'll take care of the new car for you."

When they got back to the house, Bobby pushed Grace inside the door. She grabbed a vase to hit him with but he stopped her mid-swing and squeezed her hand until she yelped in pain and the vase fell to the floor. "Don't think you can take me on little girl. You tried before and remember what happened? Do I need to remind you I broke your arm the last time you tried to fight me?"

Bobby continued to yell and scream at Grace all morning. He made her pack her clothes and belongings and load them into the car. When she tried to yell back at him, or took too long doing a task, he would hit her. All morning she received punches to the back, the stomach and slaps to the face.

Around one o'clock in the afternoon Michael received a frantic call from Maddie. "Michael, you need to come over right away. Grace hasn't been seen all day and her car is still in the driveway."

"Mom, she's running errands today with her mother. She's probably been in and out all day and you didn't even notice." he tried to reason.

In the background he heard Grace's mother say "_Tell him that her ex boyfriend is there they never came back to get me from the senior center and I can't get back into the house. I had to get a ride here from Evelyn." _

Michael felt his blood run cold. "You guys stay inside the house and do not answer the door. I'm leaving now."

Sam, who was over to collect some paperwork he left at the loft the other day, asked "What's wrong? Your mom ok?"

"Sam, I need you to drive me over to my mom's" As he spoke, Michael reached into the cabinet under the sink and retrieve a gun he kept hidden. "Grace has an ex who doesn't understand what the term 'ex-boyfriend' means."

The two men drove as quickly as they could to Maddie's. Michael sprinted across the yard, with Sam following closely behind him. Once he was at the door Sam knocked on the door and said "Hello? I have a flower delivery for a Grace W."

They listened and heard the sound of Grace being slapped. "Who is sending you flowers?" The only response Grace could give was a loud sob. "Make them go away" Bobby growled.

Grace took a deep breath and shouted "Leave them at the door, I'll get them later."

"I need you to sign for them Ma'am. That's a company policy." Sam hoped that would get her to open the door.

They could hear her through the open window, saying "I have to sign for the flowers or else the flower guy will know something is wrong."

Bobby shoved her towards the front door. "You make one move that I don't like and those flowers will be on your casket."

Slowly Grace opened the door and saw Sam. She reached out her hand as if she was going to take a clipboard from the delivery man, but instead took hold of Sam's hand. In one swift motion, he pulled her out the front door and pushed her out of the way so Michael could go inside the house.

"Who are you?" Bobby stuttered.

As Michael grabbed Bobby by the arm, pinning it behind him and slamming him into the nearest wall, Sam answered "This guy? I think this is the guy who would be sending Grace flowers if I was an actual delivery man. Right now, this guy, he's your worst nightmare."

Grace walked into the house. Sam said to Grace "Call the cops and tell them your abusive ex-boyfriend is here and terrorizing you. They'll be here in no time flat."

Crying and pointing at the wall phone she said "He cut the phone lines and smashed my cell phone so I couldn't call for help."

Michael yelled at Bobby while slamming him repeatedly into the wall while still pinning his arm to his back. "What do you get out of this? She calls you to get your car and you think you are walking away with her? That's not how this works. She's done with you. You ever come back here and lay a hand on her again I will make sure its the last thing you do."

Feeling so much anger and rage, the only thing Michael could hear was the sound of the blood rushing in his head. He had no idea that Sam was trying to get his attention by calling his name. Finally Michael heard Sam say "STAND DOWN. I will handle this, you take care of Grace and call the cops."

Michael let go of Bobby once he was sure Sam was in control of the situation and took Grace outside of the house. Handing her his phone, she called the cops just as Sam instructed her. When the call was done she stood there looking so sad, scared and lost. He guided her over to Maddie's front steps so she could get some distance from the house until the police came.

After Grace spoke to the police who led Bobby from her house, she said to Michael "I should go in and tell my mom that I'm sorry I didn't pick her up at noon." she wiped the tears from her face and stood up, shakily. Michael tried to gently ease her back onto the steps, but she swatted him away. Finally Michael gave up and let her go into the house.

Maddie came out and joined Michael on the front steps. "I thought you would have been coming in right behind her."

"I tried to make her sit with me out here but she pushed me away. Everything is ok here, I am going to fix the hole in the wall that I made later. I'm going to go back to the loft." Michael said, standing up and putting on his sunglasses.

Maddie quickly grabbed his hand and said "No. Everything is not ok. You are staying here. Grace pushed you away because she is feeling lost , alone and embarrassed that she was beaten. You need to go inside, sit her down, put some ice on her face, and fix her cuts. She needs to know she has people who care for her and want to be there to support her when she needs it." Maddie paused for a moment and said "That was something I never had when I was with you father. I could have used support."

Michael took off his glasses and stood up, this time walking into the house. Grace was in the kitchen, having a drink of water, when Michael surprised her. "Sit down on the couch and I'll get you some ice for your face."

"I can't thank you enough. Don't worry though, I'm fine. In fact, I'm going to take my mom home and just relax the rest of the day." Grace said, her voice and body shaking.

"You are not fine. You went through something traumatic today. Let me take care of you until your nerves have settled at least. If you still want to leave and be alone after you've calmed down, I won't stop you." Michael said, taking a bag of peas from the freezer. He placed them on the counter and took Grace into his arms giving her a gentle hug when she started to cry. "You're ok. It's all over." He said as he gave her a kiss on the forehead.

As soon as she sat on the couch, Grace put the bag of frozen peas on her face as Michael fixed her wounds. "I'm sorry you had to save me." Grace said softly. "You probably think I'm this girl who needs to be rescued and can't do anything for herself."

Wanting to ease her mind, Michael looked into her eyes and said "It's nice to have someone to rescue and appreciate it in return. I've gotten people out of situations and they have pretty much slapped me in the face when all was said and done." Michael looked away and said softly "Thank you for letting me take care of you."

"I'm kinda tired. Maybe I could take a quick nap before you leave?" Grace asked sheepishly.

Realizing that she was hinting that she wanted Michael to stay while she slept, Michael got a pillow and blanket for Grace. He made her take some aspirin before going to sleep. Once she was comfortable, he said "I have some work to do here so I'll be here when you wake up."

While she slept, Michael took care of fixing a few small things inside Maddie's house that he had kept neglecting. About an hour later, Michael sat down at the dining room table with a glass of iced tea. Maddie came in from outside and sat down next to him.

"I checked on Grace's mother. She is ok. She's more worried about Grace."

Michael smiled. "Grace will be fine. Her ex is gone and she'll move on in her life. She'll find the life she deserves to have."

Maddie reached across the table and took Michael's hand. "What about you Michael? Any thoughts on your new life?"

Michael shook his head and said softly, trying to hide his breaking voice. "I tried to explain to her my decision, I have no idea how my voice mails I left her, I used the CIA to track her, and even sent her an email begging her to not turn me away."

"After Nate died, I was so angry at you because I blamed you. I cut you off and whenever you reached out for me, I turned you away." Maddie said, taking her time to chose her words. Seeing that Michael was getting tense, she continued her talk, hoping to ease Michael's mind and prove a point at the same time. "I found a way to forgive you. I had to forgive you because I didn't want to lose you. You tried your best with Fiona, but I hate to say it but you've lost her. You know that because you saw her kissing another man. She's moved on and I think it's time for you to move on as well. Don't get stuck in one place too long because you might lose something precious."

Struggling, Michael said "When you were packing up the house, you told me that when everything was over you wanted me to start a new life. I always thought it'd be with Fiona. What do I do now?"

"Don't shut yourself down Michael. Keep yourself open to things because you never know what will be coming around the corner. Just start moving forward and you will find your way."

Noticing that Grace was moving and starting to wake up, Michael looked over her way and smiled. Maddie, noticing the smile, said "Why don't you take Grace home? You can fix the wall tomorrow. Those will be the first steps in your new life."

Michael helped Grace up, and walked with her to her house. At her front door, she moved to give him a more romantic kiss. Michael stepped back, but took hold of her hands. Looking into her eyes he said, "Neither of us are ready for this yet. Slow down, I'm not going anywhere."

Grace had no response to Michael. At first she was hurt he didn't want to kiss her, but then his words gave her a feeling of hope that maybe she did have a chance with him after all.


End file.
